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Paying for Professional School

Application Costs

The professional school application can be very expensive. You will pay an application fee to the centralized application service; the amount is determined by the numbers of schools applied to. Additionally, many schools, after receiving your first application, will send out a secondary application with questions unique to their school. Each of these applications will have an associated fee as well. Including the cost of travel and hotel accommodations, you should budget between $1,000 and $4000 for the entire application process. Carefully weigh the balance between applying to many schools at high cost vs. applying to fewer schools and taking the risk of not matriculating.

There are ways in which students may cut down the costs in hotel accommodations. Often there are student hosts at schools who have indicated their willingness to house interviewing students free of charge. This is a great opportunity not only to save money, but to also spend some time with actual students and ask questions. Also, find out if there are any LDS students attending the program. Many LDS students will be willing to provide you with information.

Health Profession School Costs

While the cost of attending a health profession school varies from profession to profession, the cost can exceed $250,000. Costs include academic fees such as tuition, books, and equipment. They also include living expenses such as housing, food, transportation (commuting is common), and other living expenses. While tuition and school costs will be fixed, living expenses vary from state to state, city to city, and family to family. Make a budget to determine how much money you will need to borrow. Borrow the bare minimum you need to get through school. Make sure you have a clean credit history. You have a credit history if you have at least one credit card, consumer loans (such as auto loans or student loans), or any other form of personal credit, such as a cell phone.

Financial Aid Options

Loans are the most common way for students to pay for health profession school. Each school will have specific instructions for obtaining loans, but all require applicants fill out a FAFSA by March 1st of the year they plan on matriculating. In addition to loans, scholarships are available for qualified applicants through the military, each individual school, or private organizations. The school you decide to attend will guide you through the financial aid process.